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8.13.2010

Texas, My Texas.

We are home!

And this past week has been a doozy. But so worth it, as we're now back in the US of A.

Our flight from Scotland landed Friday afternoon, August 6, and was as enjoyable as a flight can be when you're crammed into coach seats in the very last row of the plane with a tiny monitor as your source of entertainment for 8.5 hours. (Okay, maybe a monitor and a magazine. Living in the lap of luxury here, folks.)

Both our moms, and my step-dad, were anxiously standing outside the International Arrivals door at DFW airport when we finally came through with all our luggage and carry-ons. And how exciting it was to see them! It was an emotional two days: saying goodbye to all our wonderful friends in Scotland, and saying hello to our family and friends in Texas. We were home to stay!

My mom had cold Bud Lights and American flag koozies waiting for us at the house. We were happy to dump our bags, say hello to all our pets and soak up the 104 degree heat. Bring on the sunshine, momma ain't in Kansas Scotland anymore!!

And we wasted no time getting back into the "taste of things," since we met all our parents for dinner that night at Texas Roadhouse. Hello juicy steak, fried onions and tall frosty beverage. Get in my belly!

Seeing our pets was definitely a highlight, next to all the people we missed. Our sweet dogs were literally bouncing up and down like pogo sticks:

How can you not just fall in love with this adorable little face??

And my two cats, who both became very deathly ill while I was gone, are now back in good health and doing quite well. Snowball is my 12-year-old white furball of love; and July is my 18-year-old grumpy little tabby cat. I candidly remind my husband on occasion that they have been around far longer than he has! :)

Much of the past week has been spent in our usual fashion when in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area after a long absence: we hauled around in the Avalanche to see parents, grandparents, siblings and friends. But we managed to work in our favorites, like trips to Sonic for the most delicious fountain drinks ever, and lunch at On the Border (mmm, fajitas and tortilla soup!). I even managed a mini-shopping excursion with my sister to Target. Gosh, I missed that place.

My mom hosted a welcome home party for us on Sunday, which was such a blast. So many close friends, plus a lot of family, made it out to say hello and welcome us back. There were kiddos running around like crazy, loads of homemade food like brisket and potato salad (courtesy of my step-dad's talented cooking skills!), tons of laughs and jokes, a few tears shed (mostly by me), and we even ended the night watching a pre-season Dallas Cowboys football game. Hell yeah!

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Mike and I enjoyed a trip out to Weatherford one particular afternoon, where we spent some beloved time with his grandpa. Mike's parents also joined us, and we ate yummy fried dinners from Chicken Express and enjoyed homemade peach ice cream on the porch. There's just something about a Texas sunset, a warm breeze and the sound of goats maa-ing in the background peace. (Grandpa Bell lives on about an acre of country land and the neighbor's goats act as automatic yard trimmers and hedge-keepers. Handy, but noisy little buggers.)

We also spent some time in candid conversation with Grandpa Bell, who's never short on his own stories to tell as he spent a great deal of time living in Germany around the end of World War II. He was part of the first civilian troops to go into the country post-war.

He also met his wife there, she worked in the local post office and their paths crossed often when he delivered military checks every week. His face never ceases to break into a grin when I ask him when he finally decided to ask her out. Though she has since passed on, it's so heart warming to see that his love for her has not dwindled the slightest bit, and he misses her every day.

There's something to be said for experiencing a lifetime love.

I also got to see six of my seven close girlfriends, who make up the synchronized swim team I was with for 11 years, and still compete with in the US Masters nowadays. One of the gals was in Arizona, soon to be headed to LA for a month-long filming session as a mermaid in Pirates of the Carribean 4! So excited for her!!

Most girls are lucky to have one or two close pals. We each have seven amazing, wonderful, supportive, tell-it-how-it-is, reliable friends. And we always value every minute we get to spend together, especially since we all lead very active lives. It's like time stops for a little while when we congregate - long enough for us to get in our share of laughs, bitching and story telling. I always leave with a little more spring in my step thanks to them.

All in all, I'd say it's been a really epic week. And that's still an understatement.

Just in case you haven't noticed... Mike and I like to have a good time. And you can bet your bottom dollar that we'll find just as many ways to get into the fun, even though we're not galavanting around Scotland or Europe anymore. It would plain go against our nature to sit still for too long. We only tend to park it for enough time to enjoy a cold brew, a good conversation or a quick snooze.

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This weekend we're house hunting in hopes of finding a nice little rental we can live in for the time being; and there's still a grand group of familiar faces we have yet to meet up with in H-Town.

Between Houston and Dallas, it's almost like we have two home bases, two sets of families, and twice the love.

1 comment:

Great POST!! SO glad to have you home but I am AMAZED that you are still getting so much done and even have time to post a blog! Happy House Hunting!!! Can't wait to come down and see you....like in normal life! I have missed you SO much!

Hi there.

My name's Amber. And yes, I really have quadruplets. They're toddlers now! I'm a devoted wife, dedicated quad mom, freelance writer and a constant cook. This blog first began when the husband and I moved to Scotland for a year, and I've been blogging ever since. Now Texas Tales chronicles our busy life as a family of six. Thanks for stopping by!